A Natural History of Oregon's Lake Abert in the Northwest Great Basin Landscape

Ron Larson completed his PhD in marine sciences in Canada and did post-doctorial work in Florida using submersibles to study deep-sea mammals. He laster worked for US Fish and Wildlife Services in Georgia, Mississippi, and finally Oregon until his retirement in 2014. Larson's employment with the USFWS focused on water development and endangered species, and his research interests include the ecology of waterbirds and shorebirds. He is a board member of the Oregon Lakes Association and the Klamath Basin Audobon Society.

Cover Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. An Introduction to Lake Abert: A Great Basin Saline Lake Ecosystem
Historical Background
Surveyors and Mapmakers
The Developers
Efforts to Protect the Land
Chapter 2. Geology: What the Rocks and Landscape Tell Us
>Historical Background
Lake Abert's Origin
Steen's Basalt
Sunstones
Gravity Eventually Prevails: Landslides and Rock Falls
Desert Varnish
Desert Pavements, Patterned Ground, and Moving Rocks
Chapter 3. Lake Abert Limnology: The Water Story
South Central Oregon Lakes
What Is a Salt Lake?
Classifying Salt Lakes
The Prevalence of Playas
Lake Abert's Geochemistry
Dangerous Dust
Desiccation Polygons—Patterns in Mud
Tufa—Rocks from Water
The Great Basin's Paleolakes
Paleolimnology—The Study of Ancient Lakes
Paleolake Chewaucan
More-Recent Geological History of the Great Basin Lakes
Deeper Isn't Always Better
Historical Lake Abert Hydrology
Chewaucan River Flows
Lake Abert Inflows
The Ups and Downs of a Great Basin Playa Lake
Chapter 4. Life in Extreme Water
Life at the Extremes
Microbial Mats—An Ecosystem in Miniature
Algae—The Base of the Food Web
Aquatic Invertebrates—Animals without Backbones
Brine Shrimp
Other Branchiopods—Water Fleas and Fairy and Tadpole Shrimp
Alkali Flies
Lake Abert's Other Aquatic Flies
Lakeshore Beetles
Mollusks
Fish
Wetland and Shore Plants
Lichens—Slow Life on Hot Rocks
Mosses and Ferns
Upland Plants—Living with Water Scarcity
Grasses
Sagebrush—The Bush That Makes a Sea
Three Yellow-Flowered Great Basin Shrubs
Other Shrubs in an Arid Land
Streamside Plants
Abert Rim and Its Flora—The High Life
Taking a Hike
The Twenty-Five-Thousand-Acre Abert Rim Wilderness Study Area
Flowering Plants Growing at the North End of the Lake
Invasive Plants—Mediterranean Sage, Cheatgrass, and Crested Wheatgrass
Terrestrial Invertebrates—Small and Often Overlooked Critters
Frogs and Toads—Desert Amphibians
Lizards
Snakes
Mammals
Pronghorn—Life in High Gear
Bighorn Sheep—High Climbers
Coyote—The Desert's Dog
Thinking Like a Mountain—Predator Management in the Age of Climate Change
Chapter 6. Birds: Feathered Abundance in a Harsh Landscape
Upland Birds
Waterbirds and Their Natural History
Waterbirds as a Gauge of Ecosystem Health at Lake Abert
Waterbird Populations from 2011 to 2022
Comparing Waterbird Populations at Lake Abert with Those at Other Salt Lakes
Importance of Lake Abert for Waterbird Conservation
Birding at Lake Abert
Chapter 7. The Lakeshore People: The Ancient Chewaucanians
Living with Giants
Evidence of Native American Settlements at Lake Abert
The Status of Salt Lakes Worldwide
Future Effects of Climate Change
Possible Effects of Climate Change on Waterbirds
Managing These Valuable Ecosystems
How Can We Save the Lake Abert Ecosystem?
References
Index
About the Author